Pickett Library, dedicated in 1995 and named for President Emeritus Dr. Robert J. Pickett, is the academic centerpiece of the AB campus. Three floors of deep walnut shelving, long oak study tables, leather club chairs in reading nooks, and a 35-foot arched window at the south end pour daylight onto students from sunrise to sunset. The Funkhouser Auditorium occupies the lower level — a 600-seat performance hall named for longtime music professor Dr. Charles E. Funkhouser.
Original correspondence, photographs, and ledgers from Emma C. Alderson and the founding decades of Alderson Academy (1901–1932).
Edward Jefferson Willis correspondence, founding documents, and the original 1871 charter of Broaddus Classical and Scientific Institute.
Period letters, photographs, and oral history from the first land battle of the Civil War (June 3, 1861) and its impact on the founding of West Virginia.
Recorded interviews with townspeople conducted between 1968 and 1995 capturing the bridge's role in the local community.
One of the largest collections of West Virginia Baptist church records, periodicals, and ordination papers in the state.
3,200+ images of life in north-central West Virginia from 1880 to 1970, organized by community and decade. Open to researchers by appointment.
The Appalachian Heritage Archive is open to AB students, faculty, and visiting researchers Mon–Fri 9 AM – 4 PM (closed during institutional holidays). Researchers should contact the archivist at [email protected] at least one week in advance to ensure materials are available.
One-on-one sessions with a librarian. Free, by appointment or walk-in. Topic exploration, source evaluation, citation help.
Embedded sessions in 60+ courses each year. Faculty can request a librarian-led class for any assignment.
Free for AB students, faculty, and staff. Request books, articles, microfilm. Most requests filled in under 72 hours.
500 free black-and-white prints per student per semester. Color printing $0.10/page. Three high-volume scanners.
3D printer, vinyl cutter, sewing machine, electronics workbench, and free tools. Reservation required.
Six group-study pods (4–8 people, with whiteboards and screen sharing) bookable up to 14 days in advance.
Faculty can place readings, books, and media on reserve for student access. Two-hour, 24-hour, or one-week loans.
Rotating exhibits in the Pickett Gallery. Recent: "The First Skirmish at 165" (Battle of Philippi), "Quilts of Barbour County."
The 600-seat Funkhouser Auditorium hosts 80+ events per year: Concert Choir, AB Players, the Hilltop Symposium, and visiting lecturers.
Pickett Library is led by Dr. Patrice K. Nakamura, who joined AB in 2019 after a decade at the University of Pittsburgh's Hillman Library. She holds an MLIS from UNC and a PhD in History from Pittsburgh, with a dissertation on Appalachian print culture.
Her team includes six full-time librarians, two archives staff, three IT support specialists, and 18 student employees who staff the front desk, shelve materials, and run the maker space.
Departmental liaison librarians (one for each academic school) attend faculty meetings, embed in courses, and develop subject-specific research guides. The library also hosts the AB Career Center on the second floor, the IT Help Desk in the basement, and the Battler Bites cafe at the entrance.
Lifetime borrowing privileges are available to all AB alumni. JSTOR and EBSCO remote access is included with the alumni email account.
